Fantasy roleplaying goes back to its dark and gritty roots with the Dragon Age RPG, the latest game from the company that brought you A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying and Mutants & Masterminds. Based on the smash hit Dragon Age: Origins computer game, the Dragon Age RPG brings the excitement of BioWare's rich fantasy world to the tabletop. Make your own heroes and control your own destiny in the lands of Ferelden and beyond. Designed by award-winning author Chris Pramas (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Freeport), Dragon Age features an all-new game system that's both easy to learn and exciting to play, the perfect portal to tabletop roleplaying. This classic style boxed set includes a Player's Guide, Game Master's Guide, poster map, and dice: everything you need to get started, from character creation and rules of play to GM advice and an introductory adventure. So gather your friends, grab some dice, and get ready to enter a world of heroes and villains, of knights and darkspawn, of gods and demons...the world of Dragon Age!
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Chris Pramas is an award-winning game designer, writer, and publisher. He is best known as the designer of the Dragon Age RPG, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (second edition), and Freeport: The City of Adventure. He is also the founder and president of Green Ronin Publishing, a leading light in the world of pen and paper RPGs. Pramas got his start as a freelancer, writing books for such games as Over the Edge, Feng Shui, and Underground. He later spent four years as a staff designer at Wizards of the Coast, ending his tenure there as a creative director. More recently he's lent his talents to computer games, serving as creative director on the Pirates of the Burning Sea MMO RPG at Flying Lab Software and as lead writer on Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online at Vigil Games. Pramas continues to lead Green Ronin, and the company's successes include such games as DC Adventures, A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying, and Mutants & Masterminds.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By Dana Flood
Format:Game|Amazon Verified Purchase
Despite the description, this is not in fact a hardcover. It's a boxed set with two 64-page booklets and a fold-out map. So if you're expecting an actual book, you should know that up front.
That being said, the game is reminiscent of the old Basic Set for D&D in the early 80s. These booklets cover character levels 1-5.
Character generation is likewise something of a throwback to the old days, at least as far as randomness is concerned. The game asks you to roll 3d6 for each attribute, in order, after which you can swap two of your scores. Character attributes, much like the True 20 system, are listed based on their bonus or penalty, rather than a raw score. So if you roll an 18 for your strength, your strength isn't an 18, it's a 4. This randomness means that your character concept may be mathematically nonviable, if, say, you wanted to play a warrior but you've got a Strength of -2 and a Magic of 4. I suspect this will be house-ruled out in most groups. The scale is weighted towards positives, so you'll only have a negative on an attribute if you rolled a 3 or 4 on 3d6. Average rolls will give you an attribute of 2. The only way to start with a pre-background/racial 4 is to roll an 18 (though you can get bonuses during character creation that could push a 3 up to a 4).
Then, you select your background. The background you pick is intertwined with the race and class you want to play. For example, if you select the Apostate background, you're going to be either an elf or a human, and your class must be mage. Each background gives you a set of bonuses, plus two random bonuses. Some of these are odd. Your City Elf, for example, has zero chance of speaking elvish, but might be a crack shot with a bow.
For backgrounds for which more than one race is possible (apostate and circle mage), there are separate tables for the random bonuses. So human and elven circle mages, for example, are equally likely to have a bonus to Cunning, but human circle mages are otherwise likely to have a bonus to heraldry or stamina, whereas elven circle mages are more likely to have a bonus to seeing or cultural lore.
There aren't a lot of backgrounds. They are: apostate, avvar, circle mage, city elf, dalish elf, ferelden freeman and surface dwarf. Yes, if you want to play a dwarf, you have zero choice of background. You're a surface dwarf, period. The brief nature of the 64-page book means there are no backgrounds for, say, Chantry initiates or Templar squires, nor nobles of any race. That can be overcome with role-playing or house-ruling things, but I think it's worth noting.
I haven't playtested combat yet, but it seems like it'll be reasonably fast. In general, your roll 3d6 plus your attribute (usually strength) against a target number for defense. If you hit, you roll damage. Damage is reduced by armor. If you rolled doubles on any two of your three dice, you can perform stunts (which could range for knocking a target prone to gaining a bonus to your defense, to sliding a target).
Magic works much the same way (3d6 versus target, with stunts on doubles). There are dire warnings about the risks of demons, possession and abominations, but no mechanics for this.
The bestiary is small but functional. Mostly a few natural animals, drakelings, giant spiders, and a couple of basic darkspawn (genlock and hurlock), ghouls, undead and blight wolves. The included adventure has a few more creatures.
Editing is generally good, without the glaring typos and grammar problems that plague a lot of products (I'm looking at you, Troll Lord). There are a couple of glitches, though. Combat is defined in yards - spell area of effects, forced movement, weapon range, etc is all in yards (generally in multiples of two yards, much like Pramas' previous game, Warhammer Fantasy Role Play, Second Edition). But the included adventure has a map with standard five-foot squares. It's a minor glitch, though.
Overall, the game is limited by its low-level scope and short page count. If it sells well, they will bring out another set to cover the next five levels (and add specializations).
As a light game, it's not bad. I look forward to playing it, and seeing what they publish next in the line.
That being said, the game is reminiscent of the old Basic Set for D&D in the early 80s. These booklets cover character levels 1-5.
Character generation is likewise something of a throwback to the old days, at least as far as randomness is concerned. The game asks you to roll 3d6 for each attribute, in order, after which you can swap two of your scores. Character attributes, much like the True 20 system, are listed based on their bonus or penalty, rather than a raw score. So if you roll an 18 for your strength, your strength isn't an 18, it's a 4. This randomness means that your character concept may be mathematically nonviable, if, say, you wanted to play a warrior but you've got a Strength of -2 and a Magic of 4. I suspect this will be house-ruled out in most groups. The scale is weighted towards positives, so you'll only have a negative on an attribute if you rolled a 3 or 4 on 3d6. Average rolls will give you an attribute of 2. The only way to start with a pre-background/racial 4 is to roll an 18 (though you can get bonuses during character creation that could push a 3 up to a 4).
Then, you select your background. The background you pick is intertwined with the race and class you want to play. For example, if you select the Apostate background, you're going to be either an elf or a human, and your class must be mage. Each background gives you a set of bonuses, plus two random bonuses. Some of these are odd. Your City Elf, for example, has zero chance of speaking elvish, but might be a crack shot with a bow.
For backgrounds for which more than one race is possible (apostate and circle mage), there are separate tables for the random bonuses. So human and elven circle mages, for example, are equally likely to have a bonus to Cunning, but human circle mages are otherwise likely to have a bonus to heraldry or stamina, whereas elven circle mages are more likely to have a bonus to seeing or cultural lore.
There aren't a lot of backgrounds. They are: apostate, avvar, circle mage, city elf, dalish elf, ferelden freeman and surface dwarf. Yes, if you want to play a dwarf, you have zero choice of background. You're a surface dwarf, period. The brief nature of the 64-page book means there are no backgrounds for, say, Chantry initiates or Templar squires, nor nobles of any race. That can be overcome with role-playing or house-ruling things, but I think it's worth noting.
I haven't playtested combat yet, but it seems like it'll be reasonably fast. In general, your roll 3d6 plus your attribute (usually strength) against a target number for defense. If you hit, you roll damage. Damage is reduced by armor. If you rolled doubles on any two of your three dice, you can perform stunts (which could range for knocking a target prone to gaining a bonus to your defense, to sliding a target).
Magic works much the same way (3d6 versus target, with stunts on doubles). There are dire warnings about the risks of demons, possession and abominations, but no mechanics for this.
The bestiary is small but functional. Mostly a few natural animals, drakelings, giant spiders, and a couple of basic darkspawn (genlock and hurlock), ghouls, undead and blight wolves. The included adventure has a few more creatures.
Editing is generally good, without the glaring typos and grammar problems that plague a lot of products (I'm looking at you, Troll Lord). There are a couple of glitches, though. Combat is defined in yards - spell area of effects, forced movement, weapon range, etc is all in yards (generally in multiples of two yards, much like Pramas' previous game, Warhammer Fantasy Role Play, Second Edition). But the included adventure has a map with standard five-foot squares. It's a minor glitch, though.
Overall, the game is limited by its low-level scope and short page count. If it sells well, they will bring out another set to cover the next five levels (and add specializations).
As a light game, it's not bad. I look forward to playing it, and seeing what they publish next in the line.
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Game
Several reviewers in other venues have complained the Dragon Age pen and paper RPG is a failure just because it is based on a video game. From this vantage point, if they didn't like the video game they say that CRPGs and RPGs are very different in nature and never the 'tween shall meet. Or, if they did like the video game they complain that it's NOT ENOUGH like the video game.
What Green Ronin did here was they distilled the essence of the video game and the world into a streamlined , elegant little system unto itself while providing the flavor and the context of the world in the video game. Thankfully the lands of Ferelden are outstanding and stand shoulder to shoulder with classics like Fearun, Ebberon, Greyhawk, and Blackmore.
Also, people are complaining that the rules are incomplete. Duh. It's for levels 1-5... an introductory set. I actually think this is a brilliant marketing tactic that we are seeing other companies doing the same in order to attract both nostalgic and newbie gamers. Kudos! I can get a a working game for half the cost of just one book in another system. I don't need 300 spells and 400 monsters to get started having fun.
The last common pattern of complaint is that it doesn't do the same things as other games like 3.5 of 4.0 do. Well, of course it doesn't, nor do the publishers intend it to. My group even found ourselves initially wanting to houserule certain aspects of Dragon Age in order to make it more like other games we've played. But you have to get out of looking at the rules through the lens of other games to really understand what is going on and then you'll appreciate how simple and elegant it is. It is like comparing a razor blade to chain saw, saying that it doesn't cut down trees as well.
I come from an old school background and dislike having too many rules and too many books. I'd rather spend my time actually playing than reading, organizing, and collecting vast arrays of adventures, skills, and splat books that I will never actually get around to using. I adore the Dragon Age tabletop pen and paper RPG and here is why:
- I've played it with real live gamers, most of them experienced and sophisticated. My fellow players have previously played Labyrinth Lord, Savage Worlds and 3.5 for years and I have to say, so far the reaction is extremely positive. By comparison to Labyrinth Lord, this is rules light with an actual world and a unified system that doesn't seek to recreate the past but instead seeks to streamline the advances in the hobby. Compared to Savage Worlds it has much greater flavor, is not a generic system, and has something that was a deal-breaker for us: Health Points. Savage Worlds soured on us because of its wound system and how Bennies always just kept getting used for soaking damage. Finally, compared to 3.5 it has about 1/10th of the rules to keep track of, and the world feels more "old school" / European rather than high fantasy bordering on science fiction. Also, I had purchased Castle and Crusades and generally liked what I saw there, but not nearly as much as I like this. Castles and Crusades core mechanic, the Siege Engine, is nice but the 3d6 AGE system coupled with the Dragon Die/Stunts are much more appealing to me.
- It hits the sweet spot with rules lite, balancing the fine line between being overly simplistic and having just enough complexity to make things interesting. Specifically, with stunts and the dragon die it is elegant without being overly simple. With the three core classes and several backgrounds, combined with Talents and Weapons choices, you can create a great variety of characters.
- The magic system is mana based, which I like. No more Vancian fire and forget! No more magic-users bizarrely resorting to shooting crossbows because they just blew their one spell.
- The world of Ferelden is full of very interesting takes on the classic races of Dwarves, Elves, and Demons. There is a rich, detailed history and how it shaped empires, religions, and cultures. This is probably the greatest connection it has to the video game itself. To me it feels like the Celtic culture during the Dark Ages, where the real historical events of the Black Plague and the Crusades were combined into one fictional event (the Blight).
- The tone is dark, gritty fantasy. This seems to be the trendy flavor we've seen in other products and I can say that it seems to work very well here.
- The 3d6 dice mechanic is refreshing with its the curve as compared to the tired old d20. Add in the dragon die concept and you've got something new and exciting, where each roll actually contains three levels of information: total score, if there are doubles, and how strong the dragon die is.
- The stunts system just rocks. SOOO much less complicated than feats, edges, or other similar mechanics. This simplifies character creation and adds spice to skirmishes without sacrificing cool tactics and cinematic moments.
- The layout and art are strikingly good. I don't feel like I'm playing a generic system somebody whipped up in their basement, nor do I feel like I have a glamorous coffee-table book that is too pretty to get pizza grease on. Also, I have to admit that the entire box concept is really appealing, complete with a cool map, and dice. No wonder WOTC has followed in kind.
That's it. For the price of admission, this game will appeal to people looking for an elegant, rules-lite system that contains a deep, compelling world. I actually wish that this was the game that got me into the hobby, instead of having to have wasted so many hours in frustration with other, less elegant rule sets.
***********************
UPDATE 12/13/2010: We've continued playing the game and now are on our 9th session. Throughout the learning process, I thought it might be worth noting some of the player comments and insights that have bubbled up through actual play.
The group continues to greatly enjoy the system. Specifically we've noted that the emphasis on complex moral decision making is very refreshing and appealing. The Dragon Age world is one filled with "you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't" moral complexity where actions have real in-game consequences. To our thinking this reflects a more sophisticated gaming style than hack and slash, good-versus-evil.
What we hadn't anticipated is the many and rich roleplaying opportunities. Two out of nine sessions already have had no combat at all -- just roleplaying, investigation and exploration. The way the adventures "The Dalish Curse" and "A Bann Too Many" are laid out, there are ample opportunities for roleplaying and dialog snippets as well as a clear presentation of who knows what. This proved to be a nice balance to build more story into the game and gives the skirmishes more meaning. One complaint about 4E is that it can become just one tactical skirmish after another. Not so with Dragon Age. Because the fights were set up with a lot of context, character, and backstory, when they do happen (which is often) they tend to be more emotional and the stakes feel higher.
Also there is an implied sequencing of encounters that I would call "light rails." The players CAN go off in different directions, but there is an implied sequence of events that are logical from the player's points of view. You can run an open campaign "sandbox" style if you'd like, but the way the adventures are written there is definitely an implied sequencing of events. This may not be for everybody, but so far it's worked well enough. I found that while the sequencing provides a supportive structure to the adventures, so far it hasn't been a limiting factor. My players have done several unexpected turns and made choices differently than what was expected. In doing so it was not difficult to adapt, given the way the information was presented and the courses of actions outlined.
The game is as lethal as it is advertised, but much of this will depend upon if the GM wants to fudge dice roles, nerf stats, or play it straight. Several sections of the adventure text and rulebooks deal with how to handle character fatalities, emphasizing that the world is "dark, dangerous and gritty fantasy" were occasional player character deaths are an assumption. The adventures go so far as to explain which scenarios are particularly lethal and how to reintroduce new player characters to keep the players who lost a character engaged and not discouraged. This is a general stylistic choice that needs to fit with the group values, but I've welcomed it. I don't prefer balanced encounters as sometimes the wise thing to do is to cut your losses and run away! So far we've only lost one player character.
As far as room for improvement, there are a few minor glitches that I hope will be dealt with in future releases or revisions.
First, the "dice wobble." In order to get to use stunts, you need to meet or beat a target number (TN). If you roll doubles you then use the Dragon Die (the off-colored die) as a number to show how many stunt points you can use. The problem some players have had with this is that you tend to always get really high stunt points when you do hit. It's kind of counter intuitive. If you can barely hit, if you do you suddenly can do all kinds of special stunts. Also, the lower point Stunts tend to get sprinkled in as an afterthought and underused. So we've houseruled rolling a separate Dragon Die roll AFTER the initial TN has been reached in order to avoid constantly having high stunt points. In theory this should make the game a bit less bipolar and randomly lethal.
A second issue that is cropping up deals with Dwarvish movement rates while wearing heavy platemail armor. Read more ›
What Green Ronin did here was they distilled the essence of the video game and the world into a streamlined , elegant little system unto itself while providing the flavor and the context of the world in the video game. Thankfully the lands of Ferelden are outstanding and stand shoulder to shoulder with classics like Fearun, Ebberon, Greyhawk, and Blackmore.
Also, people are complaining that the rules are incomplete. Duh. It's for levels 1-5... an introductory set. I actually think this is a brilliant marketing tactic that we are seeing other companies doing the same in order to attract both nostalgic and newbie gamers. Kudos! I can get a a working game for half the cost of just one book in another system. I don't need 300 spells and 400 monsters to get started having fun.
The last common pattern of complaint is that it doesn't do the same things as other games like 3.5 of 4.0 do. Well, of course it doesn't, nor do the publishers intend it to. My group even found ourselves initially wanting to houserule certain aspects of Dragon Age in order to make it more like other games we've played. But you have to get out of looking at the rules through the lens of other games to really understand what is going on and then you'll appreciate how simple and elegant it is. It is like comparing a razor blade to chain saw, saying that it doesn't cut down trees as well.
I come from an old school background and dislike having too many rules and too many books. I'd rather spend my time actually playing than reading, organizing, and collecting vast arrays of adventures, skills, and splat books that I will never actually get around to using. I adore the Dragon Age tabletop pen and paper RPG and here is why:
- I've played it with real live gamers, most of them experienced and sophisticated. My fellow players have previously played Labyrinth Lord, Savage Worlds and 3.5 for years and I have to say, so far the reaction is extremely positive. By comparison to Labyrinth Lord, this is rules light with an actual world and a unified system that doesn't seek to recreate the past but instead seeks to streamline the advances in the hobby. Compared to Savage Worlds it has much greater flavor, is not a generic system, and has something that was a deal-breaker for us: Health Points. Savage Worlds soured on us because of its wound system and how Bennies always just kept getting used for soaking damage. Finally, compared to 3.5 it has about 1/10th of the rules to keep track of, and the world feels more "old school" / European rather than high fantasy bordering on science fiction. Also, I had purchased Castle and Crusades and generally liked what I saw there, but not nearly as much as I like this. Castles and Crusades core mechanic, the Siege Engine, is nice but the 3d6 AGE system coupled with the Dragon Die/Stunts are much more appealing to me.
- It hits the sweet spot with rules lite, balancing the fine line between being overly simplistic and having just enough complexity to make things interesting. Specifically, with stunts and the dragon die it is elegant without being overly simple. With the three core classes and several backgrounds, combined with Talents and Weapons choices, you can create a great variety of characters.
- The magic system is mana based, which I like. No more Vancian fire and forget! No more magic-users bizarrely resorting to shooting crossbows because they just blew their one spell.
- The world of Ferelden is full of very interesting takes on the classic races of Dwarves, Elves, and Demons. There is a rich, detailed history and how it shaped empires, religions, and cultures. This is probably the greatest connection it has to the video game itself. To me it feels like the Celtic culture during the Dark Ages, where the real historical events of the Black Plague and the Crusades were combined into one fictional event (the Blight).
- The tone is dark, gritty fantasy. This seems to be the trendy flavor we've seen in other products and I can say that it seems to work very well here.
- The 3d6 dice mechanic is refreshing with its the curve as compared to the tired old d20. Add in the dragon die concept and you've got something new and exciting, where each roll actually contains three levels of information: total score, if there are doubles, and how strong the dragon die is.
- The stunts system just rocks. SOOO much less complicated than feats, edges, or other similar mechanics. This simplifies character creation and adds spice to skirmishes without sacrificing cool tactics and cinematic moments.
- The layout and art are strikingly good. I don't feel like I'm playing a generic system somebody whipped up in their basement, nor do I feel like I have a glamorous coffee-table book that is too pretty to get pizza grease on. Also, I have to admit that the entire box concept is really appealing, complete with a cool map, and dice. No wonder WOTC has followed in kind.
That's it. For the price of admission, this game will appeal to people looking for an elegant, rules-lite system that contains a deep, compelling world. I actually wish that this was the game that got me into the hobby, instead of having to have wasted so many hours in frustration with other, less elegant rule sets.
***********************
UPDATE 12/13/2010: We've continued playing the game and now are on our 9th session. Throughout the learning process, I thought it might be worth noting some of the player comments and insights that have bubbled up through actual play.
The group continues to greatly enjoy the system. Specifically we've noted that the emphasis on complex moral decision making is very refreshing and appealing. The Dragon Age world is one filled with "you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't" moral complexity where actions have real in-game consequences. To our thinking this reflects a more sophisticated gaming style than hack and slash, good-versus-evil.
What we hadn't anticipated is the many and rich roleplaying opportunities. Two out of nine sessions already have had no combat at all -- just roleplaying, investigation and exploration. The way the adventures "The Dalish Curse" and "A Bann Too Many" are laid out, there are ample opportunities for roleplaying and dialog snippets as well as a clear presentation of who knows what. This proved to be a nice balance to build more story into the game and gives the skirmishes more meaning. One complaint about 4E is that it can become just one tactical skirmish after another. Not so with Dragon Age. Because the fights were set up with a lot of context, character, and backstory, when they do happen (which is often) they tend to be more emotional and the stakes feel higher.
Also there is an implied sequencing of encounters that I would call "light rails." The players CAN go off in different directions, but there is an implied sequence of events that are logical from the player's points of view. You can run an open campaign "sandbox" style if you'd like, but the way the adventures are written there is definitely an implied sequencing of events. This may not be for everybody, but so far it's worked well enough. I found that while the sequencing provides a supportive structure to the adventures, so far it hasn't been a limiting factor. My players have done several unexpected turns and made choices differently than what was expected. In doing so it was not difficult to adapt, given the way the information was presented and the courses of actions outlined.
The game is as lethal as it is advertised, but much of this will depend upon if the GM wants to fudge dice roles, nerf stats, or play it straight. Several sections of the adventure text and rulebooks deal with how to handle character fatalities, emphasizing that the world is "dark, dangerous and gritty fantasy" were occasional player character deaths are an assumption. The adventures go so far as to explain which scenarios are particularly lethal and how to reintroduce new player characters to keep the players who lost a character engaged and not discouraged. This is a general stylistic choice that needs to fit with the group values, but I've welcomed it. I don't prefer balanced encounters as sometimes the wise thing to do is to cut your losses and run away! So far we've only lost one player character.
As far as room for improvement, there are a few minor glitches that I hope will be dealt with in future releases or revisions.
First, the "dice wobble." In order to get to use stunts, you need to meet or beat a target number (TN). If you roll doubles you then use the Dragon Die (the off-colored die) as a number to show how many stunt points you can use. The problem some players have had with this is that you tend to always get really high stunt points when you do hit. It's kind of counter intuitive. If you can barely hit, if you do you suddenly can do all kinds of special stunts. Also, the lower point Stunts tend to get sprinkled in as an afterthought and underused. So we've houseruled rolling a separate Dragon Die roll AFTER the initial TN has been reached in order to avoid constantly having high stunt points. In theory this should make the game a bit less bipolar and randomly lethal.
A second issue that is cropping up deals with Dwarvish movement rates while wearing heavy platemail armor. Read more ›
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By J. Mullins
Format:Game
I picked up the dragon Age RPG during the pre-order. Getting that free PDF with the pre-order was great. I had it printed and was running it well before the book even hit the printers. The first product out was a box set, This set is meant to be an introduction to the setting and system. It covers only levels 1-5.
I really love the system. The box set really felt like I was looking at a retro clone in a nice new shinny wrapper. Once you get playing it though you really feel that this is what one of the older systems would look if it was rebuilt with innovations from newer games. Like a classic car with a new engine under the hood. All the classic styling with all the power and fuel economy of a newer model.
Attributes have eight attributes. These are usually between -1 and 4 to start with. The whole number is added to attribute rolls. Each attribute is linked to a number of focuses (basically skills)linked to each one. You either have a focus or you do not. Having a focus gives you a +2 to a roll covered by that focus.
Rather than rolling a d20 combat is rolled using 3d6 instead. 2d6 of a single color while one die is a different color. The odd colored die is called the dragon die. Any time you roll doubles you get stunt points equal to the number rolled on the dragon die. These stunt points are used to purchase stunts during combat. Like added damage or bypassing some of your opponents armor.
Players have Defense. This is much like Armor class, But unlike AC it is calculated with out factoring in armor. Instead armor is reduced from damage inflicted by opponents.
The magic system is a spell point system. And also has its own stunt system built in. this is a very nice touch.
I really love the system. The box set really felt like I was looking at a retro clone in a nice new shinny wrapper. Once you get playing it though you really feel that this is what one of the older systems would look if it was rebuilt with innovations from newer games. Like a classic car with a new engine under the hood. All the classic styling with all the power and fuel economy of a newer model.
Attributes have eight attributes. These are usually between -1 and 4 to start with. The whole number is added to attribute rolls. Each attribute is linked to a number of focuses (basically skills)linked to each one. You either have a focus or you do not. Having a focus gives you a +2 to a roll covered by that focus.
Rather than rolling a d20 combat is rolled using 3d6 instead. 2d6 of a single color while one die is a different color. The odd colored die is called the dragon die. Any time you roll doubles you get stunt points equal to the number rolled on the dragon die. These stunt points are used to purchase stunts during combat. Like added damage or bypassing some of your opponents armor.
Players have Defense. This is much like Armor class, But unlike AC it is calculated with out factoring in armor. Instead armor is reduced from damage inflicted by opponents.
The magic system is a spell point system. And also has its own stunt system built in. this is a very nice touch.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
out of the park
Green Ronin knocked it out of the park with this RPG. My friends and I play every other week and it is easily my most anticipated day on the calendar. Read more
Published 3 months ago by RedBirdsOnTop
1.0 out of 5 stars
I bought it and regreted.
A 30 bucks product only gives you some regular dices and cheap paper prints in the box. You will be disappoint at the very first place when you open the box. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Takechiyo
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid System for fans of the videogames or RPG players.
I originally fought buying this book, mainly because I thought, "Why play this when I got the videogame? Read more
Published 18 months ago by BulkyPillows
1.0 out of 5 stars
Thin on content, not worth the price
I want to put something into perspective here. D&D 4th edition, whatever you think of it, contains a 30-level progression for each character class, with some options. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Michael S. Prinke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dragon Age RPG
I bought this with the hopes that my friends and family would be willing to get into some good old fashioned role playing with me. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Preston L. Marshall
3.0 out of 5 stars
Incomplete. But good
Overall I thought the game was well done. I enjoyed what they had to offer however no matter how brilliant their marketing ploy is I think it is absolutely ridiculous to only have... Read more
Published on April 5, 2011 by Jerry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fast, Fun, Easy
The Game comes with two books, a players guide and Game masters guide, both have very good artwork and a story that take place 100 years after the blight from dragon age, its a... Read more
Published on March 6, 2011 by Brad
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dragon Age RPG
The package and artwork are first rate. The books are clearly written and the rules are easily understood. Read more
Published on December 1, 2010 by Paul Harmaty
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent game, though very "lite"
An adaptation of the Dragon Age video game, this was developed by Green Ronin Press, who is known for putting out some very good products. Read more
Published on November 15, 2010 by B. Schenck
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME FIRST TIME RPG FOR NEWBIES TO GAMING
A good to great rules light RPG if you enjoyed the video game. The stunts are the best part of the mechanics which maintain a simple elegance with three six sided dice. Read more
Published on October 3, 2010 by MISTER SJEM
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